Tech in Style CES 2013 Special

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Tech in

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l BRINGING INNOVATIONS TO LIFE issue 21 www.techinstyle.tv

QUBE

Entertainment comes in a different form

CES First Look: ARES II

The graphics king is back

ASUS Transformer AiO

A different take on the desktop PC

FOREWORD

EDITOR'S NOTE

H

appy New Year! And welcome to the Consumer Electronics Show 2013 issue of Tech in Style.

ASUS has always used CES as a platform to introduce its innovations. In 2011, it gave the world not one, but four tablets — the Eee Pad Slider, the Eee Pad Transformer, the Eee Pad MeMO and the Eee Slate. While last year, they gave us the Transformer Prime. It’s also been a happy hunting ground for ASUS, consistently bagging CES Innovations Awards these past couple of years.

It’s no different this time round, with ASUS coming to Las Vegas bearing more gifts in the form of the ASUS Transformer AiO, the Qube with Google TV and the graphics powerhouse that is ARES II. The ASUS Transformer AiO provides a different take on the desktop computer. It is an all-in-one desktop with an 18.4” display that can be detached and used as a home tablet that runs on Windows 8 or Android. And then there’s the Qube with Google TV — an all-encompassing entertainment “cube” that adds Google TV, Google Play, and Chrome to your HDTV. We also catch our first glimpse of the ARES II graphics card with its new Hybrid Thermal Engine cooling technology which incorporates both air and water cooling.

From the looks of things, it seems like we’re in for another cracking year. We hope you enjoy the CES 2013 issue of Tech in Style. That’s it from us for now; see you at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in a couple of months. Find us online at www. techinstyle.tv

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief Julian Prokaza Editor Joseph Yadao Contributors Lee Alon, Sawn Soh PRODUCTION Production Manager Helen Ling Art Director Chiou Chong Lee

Copyright: ASUS Technology Private Limited, 2012.

All editorial content in this magazine has been sponsored by ASUS. While every care was taken preparing this magazine, ASUS Technology Private Limited cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information nor any consequences arising from it.

Please recycle this magazine when you have finished reading.

Joseph Yadao Editor

About ASUS ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and makes the best motherboards in the world. ASUS designs and manufactures a diverse range of products that perfectly meet today’s digital needs, including desktop PCs, displays, graphics cards, netbooks, networking devices, servers, smartphones and tablets.

Driven by innovation and a commitment to quality, ASUS revolutionized the PC industry with its Eee PC™ and its products won 4,168 awards in 2012. ASUS has more than 12,500 employees around the world and a leading R&D team with over 3,800 engineers. Company revenue for 2011 was approximately US$11.9 billion.

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CONTENTS issue 21 ces special

04 All rolled into one

It’s a Windows 8 desktop PC. It’s an Android tablet.

It’s the ASUS Transformer AiO

06 The portable with multiple personalities

One is good, two is even better. Introducing the ASUS TAICHI™

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08 Getting to know two – the PadFone 2

We spend a little more time with the PadFone 2

10 The tablet transformed

Do you want a notebook or a tablet? How about both with the ASUS Transformer Book

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12 Arise ARES II

CES gets a first look at this graphics powerhouse

14 Tempting chill

The SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R.20 helps you keep your cool

16 A new state of access

ROG makes its foray into storage with the RAIDR SSD

18 2013: The year we made entertainment better

ASUS gives TV, music, and gaming an audiovisual makeover

20 Say Zen

The ZENBOOK™ just got a Touch better

21 Reader Q&A

Need a gaming monitor? Look no further than the VG248QE Fast Gaming Monitor

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DESIRED

ASUS Transformer AiO

All rolled into one

It’s a Windows 8 desktop PC. It’s an Android tablet. It’s the ASUS Transformer AiO

I

’d be hard-pressed to explain what the ASUS Transformer AiO is in a single line. But if I had to sum it up, the ASUS Transformer AiO is an All-in-One PC with a detachable display that turns into a tablet. But even that doesn’t cut it.

Long story short, on its own, the ASUS Transformer AiO is a fully-featured Windows 8 all-in-one PC with a 18.4” Full HD display and packs a 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor in its base PC Station. The display can be removed from the PC Station, and thanks to the wireless wonders of remote desktop computing, you can use it as a large multi-touch Windows 8 tablet for the home.

The high contrast ratio 1920 × 1080 LED-backlit display delivers life-like images which you can easily share with family and friends thanks to the 178-degree wide view angles provided by IPS display technology. Those visuals are complemented with SonicMaster-enhanced sound for quality audio from your music and video files.

But here comes the ASUS Transformer AiO’s other trick — the display houses an NVIDIA® Tegra® quad-core processor that allows it to be a standalone tablet that can easily switch between Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Windows 8 operating systems at a press of a button.

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The ASUS Transformer AiO’s hybrid qualities let you use it as a powerful Windows 8 workstation capable of graphic-intensive tasks like design and photo editing.

Needless to say, with that kind of computing power under its belt, it can easily handle any multi-task computing challenges easily. As an Android tablet, it is ideal family entertainment platform.

Tech Specs ASUS Transformer AiO Tablet • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean • 18.4-inch Full HD 10-point capacitive touch display with IPS technology • NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 processor • 32GB user storage with microSD card slot • 294 × 466 × 18 mm • 2.4 kg ASUS Transformer AiO PC Station • Windows 8 (64-bit) • 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i3/i5/i7 processor • NVIDIA GT 730M (2GB) • Up to 8GB DDR3 at 1600MHz • Up to 2TB SATA hard drive

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DESIRED

ASUS TAICHI™

The portable with multiple personalities One device, two displays, several ways of working — that’s the ASUS TAICHI™

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SUS is always looking for innovative new ways of working with information and the TAICHI is the culmination of an idea that first came to light as a concept computer. At first glance, the TAICHI appears to be a slim and stylish ultraportable PC with ZENBOOK™ good looks, but look closer and it’s clear that what would be the lid on any normal laptop is actually nothing of the sort — it’s a second screen.

Squeezing two screens back-to-back into an ultraportable isn’t just a way for ASUS to demonstrate its engineering prowess, however — it creates some new and intriguing ways of working, too. Just like a standard laptop with an external secondary display, the TAICHI’s outer screen can operate in both Mirror and Dual Screen modes.

This makes it ideal for demonstrations, where the audience needs to see what the user is doing, and for presentations, where the speaker’s notes can be kept out of sight.

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The outer screen is a full 10-point multi-touch display that can be used independently of the inner screen, which means two people can sit face-toface and use Windows 8 at the same time. With the lid closed, however, the TAICHI can also be used as a Windows 8 tablet, yet can be converted into a full ultraportable PC with a backlit keyboard at a moment’s notice. Users can switch between notebook and tablet modes through a TAICHI key.

Tech Specs ASUS TAICHI™ • Intel® Core™ i5 or i7 Processor • Dual 11.6” and 13.3” IPS Full HD (1920 × 1080) displays • 4GB DDR3 RAM • 256GB SATA6 SSD storage

• Switch between Windows 8 tablet and Windows 8 ultraportable modes with the lift of a finger.

• With a design inspired by the ASUS ZENBOOK™ ultraportable, TAICHI’s sleek profile tapers from 17.4mm to a mere 3mm.

• TAICHI’s outer screen switches between display modes by pressing a dedicated the TAICHI key above the keyboard.

• 10-point multi-touch brings full support for Windows 8 tablet gestures and the 256-level pressure sensor gives extremely accurate stylus input.

• High-quality HD and 5-megapixel cameras, plus a full array of sensors and ports, make the TAICHI one of the best equipped portables available — in whatever mode it’s used.

JANUARY 2013 | november 2012

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INSPIRED

Getting to know two - PadFone 2 Padfone 2

Last time out we took a quick look at the PadFone 2 prior to its launch.

We’ve had some time to fiddle around with it and here’s what we found

T

he PadFone 2 features the 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 processor with 2GB of RAM to give it more than enough oomph you need whether you’re using it as a smartphone or together with the PadFone 2 Station in tablet mode.

Oh and here’s an additional plus point — it just received its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade too. Everything feels faster and more fluid, moving between the home screen and apps is effortless, while the device’s touch response is enhanced thanks to the new software tweaks.

All it takes for the (for lack of a better word) transformation from smartphone to tablet to occur is simply sliding in the former into the latter. The rest is left up to ASUS’ exclusive DynamicDisplay technology which automatically optimizes the onscreen content from the PadFone 2’s 1280 × 720 Super IPS+ 4.7” display to the PadFone 2 Station’s 10.1” screen. These screens are bright

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enough to be read even outdoors in the sun; on top of that, they’re made of scratch-resistant Corning® glass.

Like most ASUS products on the market now, both the smartphone and tablet dock have SonicMaster technology for enhanced sound. It is further fine-tuned by Technical GRAMMY Award winner Waves Audio.

On its own, the PadFone 2 provides up to 16 hours of talk time; and when paired with the PadFone 2 Station, it more than doubles that to a whopping 36 hours. They’re light too, with the PadFone 2 coming in at 135g, and the PadFone 2 Station at 514g.

When it comes to taking pictures, the PadFone 2’s camera spec list sounds reads like a DSLR’s — 5-element lens, 13 megapixels, and 720p high speed recording at 60fps. It also comes with auto-focus and an LED flash to boot.

Tech Specs • 4.7” HD / 10.1” (1280 × 800) multi-touch screen • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Pro Krait (Cortex-A15 class) quad-core CPU @ 1.5GHz • 16/32/64GB storage • 13-megapixel front camera • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

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DESIRED

The notebook transformed

ASUS Transformer Book TX300

Windows 8 tablet or Windows 8 notebook? With the ASUS Transformer Book, there’s no need to choose

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eet the world’s first fully convertible notebook. On one hand, the ASUS Transformer Book is a slim and lightweight ultraportable PC with a backlit keyboard and a 500GB hard drive; on the other, it’s a 13.3” tablet with a Full HD multi-touch display and 128GB SSD. It comes with a workstation keyboard dock that features a hard disk drive, a USB 3.0 port, four speakers, along with RJ45 and mini-display ports. Attach the dock when you want to work, detach it when you want to play — the ASUS Transformer Book is two portable computers in one.

ASUS Transformer Book TX300CA • 13.3” Full HD IPS screen with capacitive multi-touch • Intel® Core™ i5 or i7 processor • 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM • 128GB SATA3 SSD (tablet) & 500GB SATA3 hard drive (dock) • Front HD camera rear 5MP and 720p video recording camera (optional) • SonicMaster audio co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® with quad speakers

Tech Specs

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As a tablet, the ASUS Transformer Book is a self-contained computer with a Full HD multitouch display and 128GB of solid-state storage.

Connect the full-size keyboard and it’s instantly transformed into a notebook with a 500GB hard drive and a second battery for longer mains-free use.

The ASUS Transformer Book has performance in spades, thanks to a choice of 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i5 or i7 processors. Seamlessly switch between applications with effortless multitasking and get an automatic burst of speed whenever it’s required with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

Typing on-screen is never a challenge with the ASUS Transformer Book’s brilliant Full HD IPS display with ultra-wide 178° viewing angles, but the backlit keyboard with ambient light control means it can even be used in complete darkness in notebook mode.

The ASUS Transformer Book turns heads whether used a tablet or notebook, thanks to a stunning slimline profile and a unique spun metal finish that’s as resilient as it is beautiful. ASUS SonicMaster audio technology co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®, quad-speakers, and Wave Maxx audio mean it sounds as good as it looks, too.

A 13.3” 10-point multi-touch display and large trackpad with smart gesture deliver the perfect finger-friendly Windows 8 experience on the ASUS Transformer Book. Nothing is further than a tap, swipe or two-finger pinch away, whether in tablet or notebook mode.

A wide array of ports make the ASUS Transformer Book one of the most expandable tablets around and there are even more in notebook mode, including USB 3.0. The front HD camera and an array mic make the ASUS Transformer Book an ideal video conferencing tool. It also comes with an optional rear 5MP camera with 720p video recording capability.

A high speed bridge ensures that the ASUS Transformer Book offers ultra-fast transfer rates between the dock and the tablet.

JANUARY 2013 | november 2012

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INSPIRED

CES 2013 first look

Arise ARES II

The super-fast ROG ARES II graphics card now comes with a new hybrid thermal design

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n 2010, ASUS Republic of Gamers unveiled the ARES, a behemoth graphics card that plowed its way through all major benchmarking software, shattering overclocking records and earning bragging rights as one of the fastest single graphics cards available.

Today, ASUS sets it sights on toppling the king of the graphics cards hill by unleashing the new ARES II. Built with massive 20-phase power, the ARES II provides top class performance and power delivery, while DIGI+ VRM technology allows precise digital control during overclocking and extensive performance tuning for improved overall power efficiency. All these are further enhanced by the use of Super Alloy Power capacitors, chokes and MOSFETs, imbuing ARES II with reliability, digital control performance and card longevity.

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Keeping things cool is the new Hybrid Thermal Engine technology — it provides excellent heat dissipation for the graphics processing unit via its new water cooling module together with the ASUS dust-proof fan.

The ARES II delivers 13% faster performance than generic GeForce GTX 690 and runs up to 31°C cooler, living up to its “Performance King” name.

Lastly, the ROG Edition of the GPU Tweak software allows for easy overclocking, fan speed and voltage adjustments, as well as exclusive tweaking features all via an intuitive interface. It even automatically updates your ARES II with new drivers and BIOS revisions.

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INSPIRED

SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0

Tempting chill It may be January but this TUF board is ready for summer. A really hot summer.

And it packs the first PCI Express 3.0 on AMD-based boards!

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he ASUS TUF Series of motherboards, or The Ultimate Force to give it its full name, devotes itself to providing hardened products designed for superior stability, reliability, and longevity in the face of arduous conditions. Tested to military and server-grade resilience, new SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 brings this survivability to bear once again. It uses the AMD 990FX chipset with support for the latest AMD processors, and very importantly is the first AMD-based board to ship with PCI Express 3.0. That’s up to twice the bandwidth of PCI Express 2.0, so components like 28nm DirectX 11 graphics cards can finally come into play as intended with that extra oomph. In fact, we get support for 3-way NVIDIA SLI and CrossFireX, so graphics power is a given.

Bring it

SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 has a long name, which is appropriate considering the lengthy testing process it undergoes to ensure it can laugh in the face of high temps. The motherboard uses CeraM!X-coated heatsinks with dual heatpipes within, coated in fine micro-ridged ceramic application to expand heat

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dissipation areas. There’s also exclusive Thermal Radar technology, with sensors embedded across the board to monitor temperatures and help adjust system fan performance automatically or manually, if you so choose.

Engineers gave the board military-grade solid state capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs rated to survive your average hardcore heat wave with a smile. In addition, the SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 also supports higher frequency DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 2400MHz, ensuring system stability even when all four DIMM slots are running at full load, so you get a high endurance and high performance product in one.

Cozy is for space heaters

Sure, it’s nice to keep warm in winter – but not using your desktop. That one needs to stay cool. If you’re the type of PC user that requires long-term stability you can count on, just like pushing hardware to see what happens, genuinely want to upgrade to PCI Express 3.0 or all of the above, then SABERTOOTH 990FX/GEN3 R2.0 awaits.

TUF CeraM!X Coating Tech

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WHAT’S NEW

A new state of access ROG RAIDR SSD

ROG champion-grade hardware expands into storage with RAIDR Express SSD to meet the demands of gamers for super-zippy load times and smoother action

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AIDR Express SSD symbolizes the novel approach ROG takes to every piece of hardware it furnishes gamers worldwide. The RAIDR Express SSD incorporates a high speed solid state drive that uses a PCI Express interface with a bandwidth that exceeds that of SATA. For gamers, this translates into visibly shorter load times and overall more rewarding gaming in titles loaded onto RAIDR Express SSD. Of course, you could also place your operating system on it for wider-reaching PC performance improvements.

Once more, we have a tangible result of the close ties ROG maintains with the global gaming community.

Acting on feedback from PC enthusiasts, designers and engineers decided the time was nigh for a custom storage component to truly put solid state to full use. And so, RAIDR Express SSD emerged, offering an instant storage speed boost with no complicated setup: it connects just like any PCI Express component, which is about as hassle-free as can be, and arrives with no additional configuration required.

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The looks and the speed

RAIDR Express SSD maintains the ROG sense of gaming chic, with a custom shroud that offers great cooling for the SSD inside as well as an aggressive-themed design for a product that sits very nicely in the case. Emblazoned with the ROG logo, RAIDR Express SSD fits perfectly within the ROG catalogue, and like its stablemates uses the finest materials for long-lasting duty. It comes bundled with a variety of utilities developed especially for the product, allowing you to maintain the SSD performance level and lifespan.

If you’re a gamer that’s been waiting for solid state to come into its own or know one that would be thrilled at the stylish performance RAIDR Express SSD offers — well then pardon the pun, but what are you waiting for? RAIDR Express SSD tailors solid state storage benefits to gamers, who immediately tap faster system performance and experiences that are increasingly delay-free, and that’s always a good thing.

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WHAT’S NEW

2013: Multimedia

The year we made entertainment better Three awesome innovations guaranteed to make your living room, music, and gaming more appealing than ever!

Reshaping home entertainment

ASUS Qube with Google TV provides a host of Google and other live services implemented on a single device working with your high definition TV. Qube offers the most features of any Google TV box, with the Qube interface, motion control, and voice-activated search functions responding quickly thanks to the most current Google TV platform. The uniquely-designed Qube purveys true all-in-one entertainment, adding services like Google Play, Chrome, and myriad other services to your TV, with content from movies to apps and games available on the spot. Everything’s accessible via the custom remote control (which also supports motion sensing), and you can access Qube from your Android tablets and smartphones. Plus, ASUS treats you to 50GB of WebStorage cloud space with your Qube – that’s plenty room for joy!

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Find your audio muse

Audiophiles can celebrate 2013 with Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition, an external USB digital audio device that adds to the award-winning Xonar Essence range. It loads up on MUSES 01 Op-Amps (operational amplifiers) from New Japan Radio Company, considered among the finest components in the business. Assuring super-clean and rich sound, these Op-Amps mean every sonic detail is retained to the fullest, take a listen and you’ll be hooked. Symmetrical 8X upsampling technology restores lossless playback with higher audio resolutions. And the beats keep coming thanks to a 120dB SNR and a dedicated linear power supply with the stability to provide much better sound. And if you’re a headphone person, wrap your head around the 600 ohm amplifier inside for your favorite cans and forget tinny audio syndrome. The year is already sounding better!

The stars align for perfect gaming sound The ROG Orion PRO headset pays homage to Orion the hunter with precision in-play audio that gives you the edge over the competition. Large 50mm neodymium magnets boost detail for heightened awareness, and the 100mm ear cups block up to 30dB of external noise to prevent distraction.

They’re also super-comfy for those gaming marathons, cushioned to eliminate fatigue and provide a snug fit. And if you’re a roving gamer, the included ROG Spitfire USB audio processor is a huge boon, bringing driver-free sound enhancement. It has 7.1 virtual surround, headphone amp, and FPS equalizer one-click modes, so wherever you go, your game audio really shines.

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RE-WIRED

ZENBOOK™ Touch

Say Zen

The new ZENBOOK™ Touch is an Ultrabook that’s more incredible than ever

T

he original ASUS ZENBOOK™ raised the bar for Ultrabook design, but that creates a quandary — how can it be improved? The answer is the new ZENBOOK Touch.

The ZENBOOK Touch is a next-generation Ultrabook that introduces a raft of new premium features. Precision engineered with a gorgeous spun metal finish, the ZENBOOK Touch is still as wonderfully slim and stylish as ever, but packs more performance, faster wireless networking, a backlit keyboard and high resolution screens with full multi-touch support ready for Windows 8.

Tech Specs ZENBOOK™ U500VZ • Intel® Core™ i7 standard voltage quad-core processor • 8GB DDR3 RAM • 15.6” Full HD display with optional multi-touch • Up to 512GB SATA III SSD, supporting RAID 0 technology • 380 × 254.5 × 6 ~ 19.7 mm • 2.06 kg (non-touch screen and without harddisk); 2.2 kg (touch screen and without harddisk)

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ZENBOOK™ UX31A • Intel® Core™ i5 or i7 processor • 4GB DDR3 RAM • 13.3” HD or Full HD display with optional multi-touch • 128GB or 256GB SATA III SSD • 325 × 223 × 3 ~ 18 mm • 1.3 kg (non-touch screen) 1.4 kg (touch screen)

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Q&A

Q

I’m a noob to the gaming scene and I used to think that all monitors are the same. Lately my friends are bandying about terms like GTG response times, refresh rates, and motion blur. I have a fairly good gaming rig, but it seems that I’m getting shortchanged gaming experience because I use a “normal” LED display. Can you recommend a display that’s more suited to fast-paced games like racing and first person shooters?

Steve Preston, New Jersey, USA

A

While it’s true that faster GTG response times and refresh rates do help in gaming visual performance, they’re not the be all and end all when it comes to displays.

But if it’s a dedicated gaming display you’re after, the ASUS VG248QE Fast Gaming Monitor could just be what you’re looking for.

The VG248QE is the world’s first 144Hz rapid refresh rate display and has 1ms GTG response times that ensure fast frame rates of up to 144FPS, reduced input lag and Full HD visuals. In layman terms, images are more fluid and rendered onscreen more rapidly, while tracers and motion blur are considerably reduced.

It has an ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) of 80,000,000 and 350cd/ m² of brightness ; while the former may sound like overkill, both help deliver life-like visuals at resolutions of up to 1920 × 1080. The inclusion of ASUS Splendid™ Video Intelligence Technology ensures vivid colours for most onscreen content through six preset modes accessed through a hotkey. The VG248QE is compatible with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision® 2 kit as well to give you an immersive multi-display 3D gaming experience.

And as a further nod to its gaming credentials, the VG248QE comes with the ASUS-exclusive GamePlus hotkey with crosshair (aimpoint) and timer functions. Aimpoint gives you four different crosshair options; while the latter lets you keep track of the elapsed time in real-time strategy games.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II © 2012 Activision Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

A fast and furious gaming display

Tech in Style explains why the ASUS VG248QE Fast Gaming Monitor is the ideal choice to get your game on

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